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Trinity

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I was just sitting there, waiting for the other me to start what she called: the next part of this whole thing. She had gone as far as leaning into the fire and burning the two of us to make me comply with her, but now she was just sitting here and staring at me. What was she playing at? Why was she doing this?

And to top it all off, the other me was wearing a very smug and sly look on her face. It was annoying me and pissing me off so much that I just wanted to hit her.

This was not like me, though. I didn't usually think about hitting people and causing them pain. OK, I have executed people. I have gone to war. Twice. I have stood by while others were executed. I had done a lot and yet, at the same time, I had not done enough.

There were a lot of bad things that I didn't know about, yet I allowed them to happen. And the flip side of that was the fact that I had personally done a lot of bad things to people. Did that make me a bad person? Did that make me evil? Was I a corrupted leader that shouldn't be leading my people?

While these thoughts went through my head, I started to panic. If these were indeed true facts, if they were what I was really like, then what kind of person was I? I needed to find the answer to that before anything else. I didn't care if the other me went on right now or not, this was more important to me.

"Good." The other me spoke out of nowhere while I was deep in thought, and it made me jump in shock.

"Huh?" I was trying to right myself on the log when I raised myself and looked at her. I had jumped so much that I nearly fell off the seat altogether.

"I said good." She answered with a look that was at least fifty percent more sly and smug than it had been before.

"What is good?" I asked, hoping that my anger at her wasn't showing too much at the moment.

"I am referring to your thought process, Trinity. That is a good direction to be moving in."

Dammit! I had forgotten that she knew what I was thinking. That was annoying. UGH! That means that she knows all the mean thoughts that I have had about her since this whole thing started. Great, that was not good. What if she decides to get angry with me?

"If I was going to get angry with you, Trinity, I already would have. I am trying to help you. This is a place that you need to be. Trust me when I say that when you leave here, you will be thanking me."

"For some reason, I don't really see that being a possibility. I mean, forgive me for saying this, but you've been a shitty host and you have been quite cruel with me."

"I have only done what needed to be done. Nothing more and nothing less. This has all been a necessity, Trinity. You know, there truly is a purpose for what I have done here." 

The other me had the audacity to sound as if I had hurt her feelings or something like that. It wasn't like she was the one that was having everything she had ever done thrown back into her face and being told to look at all the repercussions that her actions have had on those around her. Nope, that lovely little bit of cruelty and torture was reserved all for me.

"Are you done with your little rant inside your head there? If so, we can get a move on to the next stage of why you are here and help you to move on. Just remember that the longer you are here, the more time that passes in the land of the living. I am sure that you want to get back sooner rather than later." It looked to me like the other me didn't care too much one way or the other if I finished with my little freak out or not. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

"How much time is passing there? How long have I been in this place? And how much time has passed for my family back home? What do they think has happened to me?"

Her words did strike a chord with me though. I didn't want to be here any longer than I needed to be. And I didn't know how long I had been here already. What if it had been months or years already? What if they thought that I was dead, and they buried me alive? What was really going to happen to me?

"Would you like me to show you how your family is doing?" The other me smirked and I didn't know if she was going to show me something that was real or not. "Do not be so skeptical, Trinity. I am not going to lie to you. It would be pointless for me to lie to you anyway. I am you, after all."

"Fine, then I want to see them. Please show them to me."

"Of course."

The other me smiled and once again took a handful of dust to throw into the fire. The usual scene happened again with the fire responding and making a screen for me to see the people inside the flames.

There they were. I could see Reece as well as my children. There were Reagan, Rika, and Talia. I missed them so much.

"REECE!" I shouted his name. "REAGAN! RIKA! TALIA!" If this was what was happening right now, maybe they could-.

"They cannot hear you." The other me said before I could finish that thought. "This is a viewing screen only. It does not transmit to the land of the living. It is usually meant to show the viewer their past, however, it can be used to show someone what their family is doing after they are gone." I didn't like the way she was talking. I didn't like the sound of those words.

"But I am not gone. I am not dead. And I need to get back home."

"I know you do, Trinity." The other me gave me a firm look. "And we need to work together to get you out of here. You have been here for a lot longer than you think. In your world, it has already been almost two weeks." [1]

"T..t..two w..we..wee..weeks?" I couldn't believe what she had just told me.

"Yes, Trinity. Almost two weeks. Time passes slower here than in the land of the living. The reason for that is because the souls here are dead, so time does not matter to them anymore. Well, they are usually dead." She giggled while she looked at me. "Come on now, let us get back to this."

I tried to keep looking at the screen, to see Reece and the kids as they sat there at our dining table, eating what looked like dinner. They all looked so sad and somber. Reece looked worn out and worried, and the children all looked like they were on the verge of tears.

"No, my babies. Let me see them. I need to get to them now. I need to make them feel better."

"Then let's hurry up."

I felt my heart aching. No, it was more than that. My heart was shattering as I looked at my children and saw them so close to tears. And knowing that those tears were for me made it even worse. All I wanted to do right then and there was to hold them, all of them. Reagan, Rika, Talia, and Reece. I wanted to hug all of my family and feel their warmth and love.

"I will be home soon, please wait for me." I said the words to Reece, but I knew that he didn't hear me.

[1] Time is passing differently for Trinity and Reece at the moment. So, when Reece's chapters come up, they will be in Trinity's past but his present.. There will be a few chapters with Reece and the others coming up, but as you likely guessed it, things will primarily be Trinity's POV from now on.

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